The mosses, ivies and other growths around your home look nice and rustic, but you don’t want to let them have free reign. Plant life will climb and spread as far as possible in its search for vital hydration, and although these organisms seem relatively benign, they bear a hidden strength that can ruin your building.
For instance, ivies that spread their roots along brick walls and wooden siding are experts at working their way into the smallest of cracks. Upon doing so, however, they take in water and expand. Eventually, this phenomenon will cause wood to split or make mortar fall out.
Moss that grows all over your building can weaken masonry through a similar process, but it may also release allergenic spores. Finally, mold, algae and mildew that settle into your roof shingles or tiling may decompose organic building materials and cause ugly stains.
While it’s perfectly fine to make your home cool and green by growing plants on nearby gables, you definitely need to keep these creepers away from your Charleston roofing and siding. Here are some tips on how:
Create an inhospitable local environment for some plants while fostering the growth of others. Many homeowners accomplish this without having to apply harmful pesticides each year by simply installing a zinc strip near the top of their roof. Runoff from the metal prevents algae from growing by affecting its microscopic cell walls, and such substances last for years.